


i'll never know what home is

by lildouglas



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Child Peter Parker, F/M, Father Figure, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Master/Slave, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Suicide Attempt, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Torture, actual dad tony stark, also this isnt really pepper/tony based, dad tony stark, its just there yanno, peter is tortured from a v young age, peter is very little, pretty much the whole team needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-14 17:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14141043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lildouglas/pseuds/lildouglas
Summary: The assassination attempts didn't bother him as much as they used to. It was background noise - getting assaulted while waiting in line for a cup of coffee. Tony had become accustomed to it.But there's something about this guy that keeps Tony writhing from nightmares all night long. He can't get it out of his head. It probably has something to do with the fact his assaulter has an extreme case of baby hands and is a whopping two feet tall.





	1. Chapter 1

There’s a lot Tony about the Avengers Compound that makes Tony homesick for his old Tower. One thing he loves about his new home, though, is the sound of the crickets. 

 

His room was so high in the sky he could never hear the crickets chirping. Now, he can’t get enough of the sound. 

 

Breaks aren’t something he’s accustomed to, but with a glass of whiskey in his hands, he can make it work. 

 

It’s soothing in a way. He’s laying back on a bench in his garden. Everything is calm. 

 

There was no snap of a branch. There was no intense music to cue his arrival. There was nothing to prepare Tony of the small hands around his neck. 

 

He had come from nowhere. From the sky, maybe, this four foot figure had landed on top of him. He had a black mask covering his face, and the rest of his body was clothed in a tight red and black skin. 

 

The grip was strong, but the hands were so small they couldn’t reach around his neck. Tony pushed him off, landing on top of him. He ripped his hands off his neck. They struggled for a bit until the attacker rolled off of him. He sat up suddenly, cupping his ear as if he’s trying to listen to something. He stops fighting for a few seconds, then gets up and runs away. Tony doesn’t follow. He watched him leave. He doesn’t move for a while. 

 

When Tony walks into the Avenger’s communal area (he only stays here when they’re visiting — which they do, unless they’re away for a mission), a sleepy Sam is in the kitchen. He’s sat up on a couch with a glass of water pressed to his lips. Sam’s got nightmares too. They all do. 

 

“Rough night?” Tony asked, starting to brew his coffee. 

 

“You could say that,” Sam laughed dryly. He stared out the window. “But today’s better. Not one of the bad days. How about—” Sam cranes his neck to look at Tony, and he drops his glass. “Tony! What happened?” 

 

Sam is out of his chair. “What?” Tony asked calmly. Sam pointed to his bruised neck. “Oh… Oh, yeah, I got these a while ago. Forgot they were there.” He scoffed. 

 

“Does it hurt to talk?” Sam asked, examining his injuries. 

 

He scoffed. “No, not at all,” Tony said, sitting down. 

 

They sit in silence for a while. Neither had nothing to say to the other so they just sat there and enjoyed each other’s company. Sam was the first to leave. Tony laid back on his couch, but he didn’t sleep. He couldn’t forget the shaking hands trying to strangle him. They were hesitant. 

 

Tony can’t forget it. 

 

He has an assassination attempt on him, like every other week — if not that, it’s been more. None of them are that serious, though, and he can handle them. They don’t really bother him. 

 

However, this last experience  _ does  _ bother him, but he can’t explain why. His nightmares are plagued with him every night. He loses sleep until he gets to his wit’s end. 

 

He started to search for him. 

 

A few weeks pass. 

 

He doesn’t tell the others.

 

Tony hates the beech. 

 

The sand is in his shoes, and the sun is too unbearably hot. But it was night, and the dreams were keeping him up, and he wanted to walk. So he did. All the way to the shore. 

 

There’s no one else here. He feels like someone is watching him, but there’s no one there. 

 

Lately, he’s always felt eyes on him. Sometimes he catches a fleeting patter of feet or, or, or like a snap of a thump. He never sees it, of course. Never sees what it is. 

 

It’s loud here. There’s no crickets out here, but there’s the loud crashing of the waves and it’s comforting to him. He closes his eyes, and he tries to be at peace. 

 

His heart can’t settle. It continues to race in his chest, crashing against his ribs. He’s shivering. 

 

He kicks the sand. This was pointless. 

 

When he walks back into the compound, the Avengers are seated around his living room. Clint groaned, “Dude, you’re late. Come on.” 

 

Tony sits down. His eyebrows are furrowed together in confusion; he doesn’t have to ask — Sam is already explaining. “Movie night,” Sam snarled, horribly offended he forgot. “How could you?” 

 

“Sorry,” Tony apologized lightly, chuckling. 

 

Bruce scoffed. “This was your idea,” he said, not looking at him. Tony winced.

 

Natasha stares at him. “Why were you at the beach?” Tony didn’t even bother asking her how she knew. He was long time used to that. 

 

“Some peace and quiet,” he said. He shook his head. “What movie are we watching?” 

 

The group was silent. Then, chaos. 

 

“Let’s vote?” Bruce suggested, ever the genius. 

 

They all voted for their own movie. 

 

“Nat?” Clint pointed out. “You didn’t vote.” 

 

“ _ F•R•I•E•N•D•S?”  _ She suggested, and everyone sunk down in their seats. 

 

“Yea,” they all agreed, although in small different variations. Natasha grinned. 

 

They had gotten through a couple episodes when they heard a small groan. “Friday, pause,” Sam said, looking over to Tony. Tony was face down on the couch and curled up into a tight ball. His hands were digging into his skin. 

 

“He… fell asleep,” Clint noted. “He never does that.” He poked at his face, and Natasha swatted his finger away. 

 

“He’s having a nightmare,” Steve said wryly. He knows them too. He knows how bad it hurts to tear a fingernail out of your skin. He leans over and slowly tugs his hand away from his chest. He stuffs a pillow in. “Let’s let him sleep. Friday, resume, please.” 

 

“As you wish,” She chirps, and the show starts up again. Tony is quiet, aside from a few punched noises that slip out in his sleep. 

 

An episode ends. The theme song starts up. Everyone is lightly clapping along until there’s a screech. Tony shoots up on the couch. His chest hitches and falls rapidly. 

 

“Tony, you’re okay,” Sam soothed. “You’re in Avenger’s compound. You’re safe.” 

 

Tony’s face is blank. His skin is a flushed red, but his face is pale. He’s quivering. “I’m going to… go to my lab,” he said, and he suddenly took off. They let him go. 

 

The show played, but it was only background noise. They were all to aware of the presence of Tony’s suffering in the elevator.

 

They all shifted uncomfortably in the seats. 

 

“So, Cap,” Sam cleared his voice suddenly. “Avengers Assemble?” 

 

_________________________

 

Tony sighed as soon as he entered his room. He sunk down on his soft bed and started unbuttoning his shirt. In his bed, Pepper started stirring in her sleep. Tony smiled then pulled up the covers.

 

He couldn’t close his eyes. The room was quiet, aside from Pepper’s snoring. Yet, Tony could not allow himself to relax. He was too… afraid. It was silly of him to be, but he couldn’t help it. He called one of his suits to stand on guard beside his bed. It stood, ready to fight, which isn’t that abnormal. Usually, he always has two stand outside of his room, but on certain days, he can only sleep with one on guard. It scared Pepper a few times, but she can’t complain. 

 

Pepper is typically exhausted from her being a workaholic. Tony’s the same, except he’s a much more extreme case. Pepper stays up late due to her huge pile of work, whereas Tony doesn’t have enough self restraint to keep him from pulling an all nighter in his lab. 

 

Pepper’s eyes fluttered open to the feeling of nails sinking into her skin. She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t move against her attacker’s grip. “T-Tony…!” she groaned, struggling against the grip. One of the suits responded instantly, prying Tony off of her. Tony thrashed around in his sleep, fighting against the suit. “Tony! Tony!” Pepper was loud, but her voice was calm. Steady. She held her arms out. “Tony, you’re okay. You’re safe.”

 

When Tony woke up, there was blood in his fingernails. 

 

Morning came, slowly, after the two spending the rest of the night in each other’s arms. Pepper’s voice was steady when she soothed him back to a calm state. 

 

Tony sat in his bed and stared out the window. Pepper had left him to take a shower, but he could hear her soft crying through the door. A minute passed and he could hear the shower turn on, but the crying was still there. Tony couldn’t forget the sound. It was stuck in his head. 

 

Pepper came out of the shower half an hour later, and when she did, her belongings were in a suitcase on the bed. She frowned upon sight, but Tony, who was waiting by his door, set his hands on her shoulder. “Just for a little while,” he promised, stroking her cheek. “Take a little vacation. Let me get things sorted out.”

 

“I can’t leave you like that,” she said, leaning in close. She embraced him. “I won’t.”

 

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Tony said.

 

Pepper snorted. “You have hundreds of rooms, dear.” Her face got serious. “You don’t have to do this.” Tony grabbed her wrist and raised it to her eyes.

 

“Look,” he said, gently shoving it in front of her. “I did this to you.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind his ear. “I love you, but I need some time to fix this mess.”

 

“I could help,” she offered, eyes watering. “If you just told me what’s wrong.” 

 

Tony wanted to tell her; he really did. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. 

 

______________________

 

“You’ve failed… again?” Norman Osborn’s empty voice fills the lab. Doctor Octavious is kneeling before the large, static-filled screen. A black figure kneels to them both. 

 

“He’s not ready,” Octavious explained. “He shouldn’t have gotten out in the first place! All his progress… He’s defective now. It’d be better to kill him now.” The figure doesn’t tremor. He stays in a kneeling position. 

 

“We don’t have time for that,” Norman groaned. “Cloning him will take too long. I need Stark’s head on a stick now!”

 

Octavious sighed. “We will,” he promised. The call cut out. Silence filled the messy lab. The black figure rose to his feet. “I didn’t say you could stand.” Octavious’s cold metal claws gripped his neck and threw him to the ground. A small whimper escaped his lips. He dragged him and threw him in the Dark Room. 

 

The small figure cried out, but the door already shut. Octavious locked him in, even though his prisoner tries to leave, it’ll only be more trouble for him. 

 

In the Dark Room, surrounded by broken down robots, the figure lays face down on the ground. His fists are clenched as he beats the debris until there is blood puddling on his fingers. He doesn’t stop. 

 

The door opens. “Return to your chamber, Spider. Training is over.” 

 

He kneels to him. “Master, please--” he started to beg, but Octavious grabbed his face, tight claws digging into his skin. He was sure to be bleeding, but he didn’t care.

 

“Silence! If it wasn’t for Norman, I would’ve killed you where you stand. Don’t defy me.”

 

“I will kill Tony Stark.”

 

“No, you won’t. You’re useless. You know that, right? You can’t even kill one person.”

 

“Please,” he begged, leaning into his touch. It was the only one he’s ever known. “Please, let me try again.”

 

The claw slid down to his neck and squeezed. “I did not give you permission to speak.” His servant choked for a few moments before he let go. “Return to your chambers, Spider Slave. I will not tell you again.”

 

When the slave sleeps, it’s in the lab. The only thing separating him from the cold tile is a puppy pad. His mind won’t let him sleep. It’s yelling obscene things at him, and it can’t seem to stop. 

 

“What?” A voice in the hallway exclaimed. “I needed that shipment yesterday.” There’s a loud crash. “I’m on my way.” 

 

The small spider peeked around the door. His master was on the move, and he sneaked after him. Octavious climbed through the door in the roof, leaving it unlocked in his rush. 

 

He crawled up the walls, quickly but carefully. When his fingers trace the handle, he flinches. His chest hitched in fear. Then, he throws it open. 

 

New York was cold on the night of his escape. Sharp, wet liquid was hitting him fast and hard, but he didn’t care. He had one thing on his mind. Tony Stark was going to die today. 

 

He’d make sure of that himself.


	2. last pale light

When his head popped out of the ground, the Spider Slave was met with a gust of wind that blew him over. He flipped, albeit gracefully, and landed on his feet. His tight spandex suit did little to keep him warm in the wind, but he carried on, moving frigid legs. 

 

He didn’t know where he was going. 

 

Last time, he found where Stark was, thanks to a handy dandy tracker. He didn’t have that now. 

 

He didn’t know much about anything outside of his lab. He didn’t know what was underneath his feet, but he knows that it’s cold and damp, and it crumbles in his hand. Water splashes against his clothed feet, sinking him into the ground. He doesn’t like it. He flees. 

 

With nothing but a set of hands ready to kill, he finds a town, or what he assumes is a town. He’s read about them before, after all, but this is the first time he’s been in one. 

 

Cars race past him. Passing strangers avoid him and give him strange looks. No one else looks like him. 

 

Come to think of it, in all those books he read, humans didn’t like it very much when you looked a tad bit different than the rest. 

 

He slipped off his mask, hoping to make him look a bit more normal. He had hoped this to make him appear more normal, but he was met with concerned looks. Fathers and Mothers ushered their young ones away from him. A teenager snapped a picture of him. Another actually approached him. “Are you lost, little one?” she asked, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “Are you hurt?”

 

“I’m looking for Tony Stark,” he said in a monotone voice.

 

The girl blinked in confusion. “Your mother, sweetie, where is she?”

 

He turned to walk away. The girl grabbed his wrist. “Let go of me, and I’ll let you live.” She released her grip instantly, but she didn’t seem afraid. “Where does Tony Stark reside?”

 

“Does your mom or dad work there?” she asked gently, and he shook his head.

 

“I need to go there now!” he insisted, stomping his foot.

 

“Fine, fine. I’ll take you,” she said. 

 

He grinned. “Take me to your car,” he ordered, and he followed her.

 

He was seated in the back of the car, loosely strapped in with a seatbelt. They drove in silence. The girl would occasionally ask a few questions, but he’d shoot them down everytime. “Where did you get those scars on your face?”

 

He touched his face, feeling for a scar. He’s never seen himself in a mirror before. He knows he’s covered in cuts, though, because they burn sometimes. 

 

The car stopped suddenly. “This isn’t Stark’s residence,” he snarled, seeing the NYPD station. He pulled a blade out of his suit and presses it against her throat. “Take me there. Now.”

 

She hadn’t taken him seriously before, but now, with the actual blade grazing her skin, her chest hitched in fear. “Okay!” she said, and he withdrew the knife. She drove away hesitantly.

 

The car stopped after driving. “We’re here,” she mumbled blankly. He flicked open his hand. 

 

“Just so you don’t get any funny ideas,” he said, aiming a web at her hand. She was practically glued to the side of the car. She wasn’t going anywhere. 

 

When he creaks open the door, he falls out of the car. He lands on his feet with a stumble. 

 

He’s shaking. A woman walks by him. “Betty, I don’t know what to tell you,” a man says, chuckling. “It’s not that hard.” 

 

“But it is!” Betty insisted. She playfully shoves the man at her side. “I’m new at this, okay? Give me a break.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

 

She unlocked her car with a click. “Like you were good at engineering when you--Oh my god,” she gasped, seeing the Spider, face down on the ground. “Are you okay?” She reaches out to help the boy up, but he slaps her hand away. 

 

“I’m looking for Tony Stark,” he mumbled. 

 

“Uh,” she said, tilting her head. She turned to the man again. “Um, does Stark have a kid?” 

 

The man shrugged. “Not that I know of,” he said. “Are you looking for your dad?” He kneeled down to the kid’s height. He pointed towards a building across from the parking lot they were in. “He’d be in the Avengers living quarters down there.” The kid took off. 

 

It wasn’t until he was meters away did Betty notice the young, gagged blonde in the car. 

 

Escaping the others, the slave places a cautious hand on the wall and starts scaling the building. He’s a couple floors up when he hears glass break. “Dammit,” a man curses, kneeling down. His head is pressing a phone against his shoulder. “Hold on, Rhodes.” 

 

On a balcony, Tony Stark is cleaning shards of a broken bottle of whiskey. Stealthily, he waits above him. He grits his teeth together. “I’ll talk to you later, man,” he sighed, hanging up. He drops his phone down on the table. In defeat, he sinks down into his chair. 

 

Soft sounds pour from the patio. Tony Stark pats his foot against the floor along with the obnoxious yells coming from a stereo. 

 

He jumps. 

 

He lands on top of Tony. 

 

His mask is slipped back on, covering his face. He is wrapped around Tony’s head, his tiny hands once again struggling to strangle him. “G...Get off!” Tony yelled, tugging at him. 

 

His suit comes flying at him, and Tony’s armed gauntlet shoots the attacker off of him. The Spider is sent flying into the glass wall. A muffled yelp escapes his lip, but he doesn’t let that stop him from getting back up. 

 

“What do you want?” Tony growled. “Who… Who are you?” 

 

He doesn’t answer. He only grabs his bleeding shoulder. 

 

He lunged forward, but Tony picks him up by his wounded shoulder. “Who. Are. You?” 

 

His hands prod at his mask, and he convulses. “Dude, you’re like three feet tall! Sue me if I’m curious…” He pokes at the tiny foot that’s kicking at him. “So, so small. Aw.” 

 

Tony kicks open his door and hurls the bleeding kid into his room. He locks the door behind him. 

 

The Spider curled in on himself. At this rate, Octavious never will be proud of him. He can never go home, not if he can’t manage to kill a single man. It shouldn’t be this hard… 

 

Tony enters the room then, carrying a red box in his hand. He slides handcuffs on his right foot to a chair leg. He opens the box and picks up some gauze. “...Shut it off.” 

 

“Huh?” Tony asked as he cut his suit with the scissors. 

 

“That… that noise… What the hell kind of defense is that?” 

 

Tony furrows his eyebrows together. Then, he bursts out laughing. “That?” He clicks a button on a remote, and the music blares. “That is ACDC.” He shivers. “Not a fan of rock?”

 

“Rock,” he repeats. “Rocks don’t make sound. I thought you were a genius,” he snarled. “You’re not even dangerous. Just obnoxious!”

 

“Rock music,” Tony explains. “You must live under a rock.” He snorted. “Hah. Unintentional.” 

 

“I’m going to kill you for that,” he says. 

 

“Ah, I don’t think you are… I’m the only thing keeping you from bleeding to death,” Tony chuckled lightly as he started to rip the suit off. 

 

“Stop!” he spat. “I’ll kill you!” 

 

“I’m trying to help you,” Tony reasoned. 

 

“Stop!” He pulled against the handcuffs. He grunted in pain as he pulled against his bad shoulder. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” 

 

“Shh,” Tony hushed. “You’re gonna wake the others up.” 

 

Tony wet a rag and moved to wash the blood off his skin. Upon contact, he gritted his teeth and shivered at his touch. “I’ll kill you.” 

 

“You’ve said,” Tony sighed. “Why do you want me dead?” When he didn’t get a reply, he continued talking. “You’re not the first one to try and kill me, but you might just be the smallest.” 

 

The tiny soldier suffered through the cleansing of his wound. After the blood had stopped gushing out of him and he was disinfected, Tony reached for his mask. 

 

His hands tugged at the bottom of his mask, hesitant, unsure if he really wanted to see what was staring back at him. He did, though, like ripping off a bandaid. 

 

It’s safe to say he wasn’t prepared. 

 

Innocence. Big, doe eyes — terrified of the world. 

 

“Who are you?” Tony asked, horrified. “You’re just a kid…” 

 

“I’m going to be the one who kills Tony Stark,” he growled. 

 

Tony leaned back in his chair. He took a chug of his drink before clanking it down on the table. “You’ve said.” He taps his fingers against the table. “FRIDAY, run facial recognition.” 

 

“Right away, sir,” she said, and soon enough the data was pulled up in front of him. 

 

“Why do you want to kill me?” Tony asked, scrolling through the file. 

 

“I have to,” he answered. 

 

“Oh, so you  _ don’t  _ want to,” he said. “Then why? Just don’t.” 

 

He looked up then, looking thoroughly confused. “I don’t have to answer you,” he said, but it was clear he was processing his words. 

 

Tony grew quiet then, truly absorbing this kid’s backstory. He reads it a few times over before speaking. “Do you even know your own name?” 

 

He blinks a couple times. “Master calls me ‘Spider,’” he said. 

 

“No,” Tony said, actually laughing a dry chuckle. It’s humorless. “Before. Before you went missing.” The child’s eyes seemed to widen. “Peter.” He gasps, snaking his head. 

 

“Not my name,” he cried. “Don’t you dare!” 

 

“Your name is Peter,” he continued. “Peter Parker. You were living with your aunt and uncle when you were kidnapped.” 

 

“Stop it! Stop!” he cried out, desperate. His one free hand moved to cover his ears. Tony, feeling slightly guilty, stopped at his request. 

 

“Peter, you’ve been away from your home for a while,” Tony said, scratching at his face. 

 

“I have a home, and my name isn’t Peter,” he spat. “I live with my Master.” 

 

“Who is he?” 

 

He scoffed. “As if I’d tell you!” 

 

“Right,” he mused. “Does he treat you well?” He knew the answer to that. The years of abuse this kid must’ve endured to be brain washed to this extent… 

 

“My master will be proud once I kill you,” he said. “Once I do, he’s going to reward me. Master said he’d even keep me.” 

 

“Peter-”

 

“It’s Spider.” 

 

“Kid,” Tony tried, sighing. “Is he… Is your ‘Master’ the one who gave you that scar on your face?” 

 

He stopped for a moment. His free hand traced along his face. “Master hurts me when I deserve it,” he said at last. 

 

Tony can tell he hasn’t looked at himself in a mirror. He can tell by the way his hands move around in an attempt to find a scar he didn’t know was there. 

 

Tony stood up suddenly. “I’ll be back.” He went to argue, shout at him, but Tony stooped to his level and put a finger over his lips. “Shh. You don’t want to wake my friends.” 

 

Tony left him alone in the room for a couple minutes before returning with some snacks. “Here, you must be starving.” He set a little debbie in his lap. The child didn’t even try to reach for it. Instead, he shook it off him. Tony sighed and put it back on him. “You’re as skinny as a stick. It’s not poisoned.” When he failed to move, he opened one of the snacks and bit into it. “See?” 

 

The kid hesitantly started to open one, which was hard to do with one hand. Tony smiled wryly and helped him out. He held the swiss roll in front of him. Almost as if he was scared, he leaned away from it. 

 

A trained soldier like he knows better to accept food from the enemy, but the poor child is so starved and exhausted, and he’s so intrigued by the chocolate that he can’t help but be curious. Still, it frightens him. “It’s sweet. You’re a kid; you should like it.” He hesitantly bites into it. As soon as he does, his face lights up. He shoves the rest into his mouth and swallows it. Tony laughs. “You like that?” He nods vigorously. 

 

“Give me another, and I’ll make your death less painful,” he says, and he starts chewing on another one. Tony watches him scarf it down. He’s terribly amused, so engrossed in the way he tries to savor it but swallows it whole instead, that he doesn’t even register the threat. He lets it go over his head. 

 

Tony hands him a glass of water. “Does your Master ever give you food?” 

 

Opening up a bit, he stops chewing. He looks at the glass cautiously. “I don’t deserve real food,” he scoffed. “I get energy through the needles.” 

 

“He feeds you through an IV,” he settles, tapping his fingers along the desk. 

 

He seems to get sick of the sweets, after a while, because he stops and uses his free hand to cover his mouth. “You’ve poisoned me!” he screeches. 

 

Tony grabs a bucket. “You’ll be okay. Just ate a lil’ too much sugar, is all,” he says, holding it out to him. He starts to gag, and a little spills out of his mouth. The sensation is painful, not to say he hasn’t felt worse, but it’s still a not nice experience. 

 

Tony places a hand against his back. He stiffens against it, leaning forward, but Tony continues to press lightly but firmly. He rubs circles into his back, and he starts to settle. He stops vomiting and grows quiet. 

 

“...You said I had an aunt and an uncle.” 

 

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Yea, you remember them?” 

 

“...No,” he said, and he couldn’t tell if that was the truth. “Did Peter have a mom or dad?” 

 

Tony bit his lip. “You did,” he said. “They’re not here anymore.” 

 

“Where are they?” he asked, sounding somewhat hesitant. Afraid to know. Afraid to ask. 

 

“They passed away,” he said, unsure if the child knows about death. Of course, said child was threatening to kill him every two minutes. “I’m sorry.” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“I know what it feels like to lose parents.” 

 

“I never lost anything. I have Master.” 

 

“No, kid. Your Master isn’t the same. Parents love you, he does not.” 

 

“He will! As soon as you’re dead, he will! He’s going to take me to the special place!”

 

“He won’t love you,” he says. “He’ll hurt you, Peter.” 

 

“No! That’s not my name! I’m Spider! I’m going to kill you, and he’ll love me. You’re wrong, and, and, you’re just trying to fool me!”

 

He broke out of the grip suddenly. He ended up with a pair of medical scissors in his hands. He had Tony pressed against the floor. At any moment, Tony could suit up, but he didn’t. He didn’t because the scissors were being held in shaking hands. 

 

Tears started to fall. “I…” He choked out a sob. “I can’t make Master proud. He won’t ever love me,” he sobbed. “I can’t kill you!”

 

He raised the scissors high in the air before dropping them to the floor with a clatter. “I… I can’t.” Tony, calm as ever, blinked slowly. “I don’t want to!”

 

“You don’t have to kill me,” Tony reasoned. 

 

He thought that over for a couple seconds, his eyebrows furrowing together tightly. He must’ve come across a solution because his eyes widened. “I’ll kill myself!” he announced, seeming somewhat happy with himself. “Then, you can live, and Master won’t be mad.” 

 

“Peter, don’t!” Tony said, but he was already trying to dig the shallow scissors into his chest. Tony snatched his arm and stole the scissors from him. 

 

“No! If I don’t, he’ll be mad! He’ll be mad!” Tears started to stream out of his big brown eyes. Tony stared in horror as the kid struggled to snatch the scissors and drive them through his chest. “You…” He gave up on trying to grab them and ended up ransacking the room for anything sharp he could find. As Tony had cleared it previously, he couldn’t find much in the room. He ventured out the door, running as fast as he could. 

 

Tony suited up instantly, catching up with him. The kid started to climb through the window and he stuck to the wall of the building. “Stop!” Tony screeched, horrified. 

 

“Sorry, Stark,” he said, shrugging. He jumped off, but Tony, in his suit, easily caught him. “If you don’t kill me, Master will be mad. He’ll be very mad with me. I can’t kill you; I just can’t, so you have to kill me.” 

 

“Master doesn’t have to know,” Tony said, holding him. He landed on the ground outside gently, cradling the snotty child. “I won’t let him hurt you.” 

 

He looked up to him, sniffling, and blinked a couple times. “He’ll kill us both.” 

 

Tony cackled. “He wouldn’t be the first to kill me,” he said, patting his head. “Now tell me about this ‘Master’ of yours…” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot about this story lol lol
> 
> i haven't written anything non-criminal minds since infinity war, sooooooo lol 
> 
> if u enjoyed, please leave a comment or kudos!


	3. go hard (a reference to a song that describes this chapter pretty well)

Tony bounced the small child in his arms as he walked back inside of the compound. The slight rocking seemed to calm him down quite a bit, so he continued to jostle him around until they walked into the dark kitchen in the Avenger’s communal area. 

 

Sam is awake with Clint. Natasha is fast asleep on the couch with her head in Clint’s lap, and her feet are hanging off the edge of the couch. 

 

Hearing the door open, Sam stirs. “Tony?” He drops a piece of popcorn in his mouth, but he doesn’t look away from the TV. “I thought you were asleep.” 

 

Clint cackles, “Tony, sleeping?” 

 

“I’m actually on my way to bed,” Tony said, tip toeing around them. He sets Peter down on the floor, hidden by the island, and he starts to rip apart the pantry for food. He grabs as much snacks as he can, and then he snatches the kid up and runs to his room. 

 

“Okay, let’s see what we got,” Tony says, dropping the snacks on the bed. 

 

Peter crawls up, searching through the bags. “What’s this?” He struggles to open a slim jim wrapper, and before Tony can offer to help, he rips it apart with his strength. “I like this.” 

 

“What do kids your age eat?” he asked, squinting. 

 

“How old am I?” Peter asked. “12?” 

 

“Peter,” Tony said, not missing the way he flinched at the name. “You’re three years old.” 

 

He blinks a couple times. “What? No way.” 

 

“No, Peter, you’re three,” Tony said, pulling up the files again. “Three and 36 days.” 

 

“Can you stop calling me that?” 

 

Tony sat in his chair, distant from the kid. “It’s your name.” 

 

“My Master calls me Slave,” Peter says. 

 

“Well, I’m not your Master,” Tony said. “You can either be Peter, with me, or you can be Slave, with him.” He said that, but he didn’t really mean it. 

 

“No, I don’t want to go back to him,” he said, curling in on himself. 

 

Tony wanted to comfort him, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. “Then why won’t you let me call you by your name?” 

 

“I don’t,” Peter said, struggling, “deserve it. The… The others would call me Brother, but Master would get mad.”

 

“Others?” Tony asked, freezing up. 

 

Peter’s face seemed to light up a bit. “Yeah, others!” he said, sitting up straighter. “The other slaves were very nice! Most of them…” 

 

“Did some of them hurt you?” He leaned in close, listening. 

 

His voice dropped a little. “Sometimes,” Peter said. “But ones my age were nice.” 

 

“Peter, you thought you were twelve,” Tony said, his heart breaking even more. “How old were they?” 

 

“I dunno,” he shrugged. “Oh.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“A brother,” he said, voice dropping to a whisper, as if afraid he might get in trouble. “He’s one!” 

 

Tony leaned back, trying to process all of this. “Can you tell me where they are?” 

 

“No, no!” Peter started to shake his head frantically. “You said I didn’t have to go back! Please, please, don’t make me go. I don’t want to go!” 

 

“Shh,” Tony hushed, holding his hands out. “You don’t have to. It’s okay; you’re okay.” 

 

“If I go back, he’ll kill us,” Peter said. “He’ll kill both of us, and then—“ His face dropped. 

 

“You’re okay now,” Tony promised. 

 

“But they’re not,” Peter said. “They’re still there.” 

 

“They don’t have to be,” Tony said. “We can save them. You just have to tell me where they are.” 

 

Peter shut his mouth and recoiled away from Tony. “I don’t wanna go back! I don’t wanna! No! No!” 

 

“Hey, hey,” Tony said, reaching for him. He picked up the kid and held him close. “You don’t have to go back ever, okay?” 

 

“Please,” he said, raw and desperate. “Never.” 

 

“I’ll keep you safe,” Tony promised, biting his lip.  _ Don’t make promises you can’t keep. _

 

“You’d do that?” Peter asked, looking up at him. “Why?”

 

Tony snorted. “Kid, it’s a moral compass,” he said. “I don’t have to have a reason for everything, you know. It’s just the right thing to do.” 

 

“Hm,” he hummed, deep in thought. “I think… I think I have one too.” 

 

“Oh?” Tony said, confused on where he was going. 

 

“I didn’t kill either of us!” he announced, cheering. “That’s good, right?” 

 

“Yeah…” Tony trailed off. “Good.”

 

“Have you ever killed someone?” 

 

Tony didn’t want to answer, but he felt like he owed him. “Yes,” he said, burying his face into his hands. His shoulders started to tremble slightly, and Peter sat up on his lap. 

 

“My Master might kill us both,” Peter said. “I wonder if he thinks he’s doing the right thing. Moral compass.” Tony remained quiet. His face didn’t move from his hands. “I hope he doesn’t, though. I just saw the sky for the first time today, and I’d like to see it tomorrow too.” 

 

Tony looked up from his hands to look at Peter. He had crawled off his lap and ran to the window by his bed. Outside, the sun was rising in the sky. Tears started to form at his eyes, and Peter began to panic. “Are you alright?” he asked. “Your eyes are leaking.” 

 

“No, they’re not,” Tony scoffed. 

 

“Yes!” he insisted, standing up on the bed. He wobbled over to Tony and poked at the tears on his face. He rubbed at his face until the water was rubbed away. He let out a large sigh of relief once it was all gone. “It’s okay.” 

 

Peter stood up on his wobbly knees and reached out to him. He pressed his small hand to his cheek. “It’s okay.” 

 

“I feel like it should be the other way around,” Tony chuckled, not really crying, just tearing up, but he let Peter wipe the water away. “You’ve really never seen the sky before?” 

 

“I’ve seen paintings,” Peter said in amazement, “but I never knew it was so… blue. The clouds, too, I’ve always dreamt about! It looks like cotton… I wanna reach out n’ touch it.” 

 

“It doesn’t feel like cotton, I’ll tell you that much.” 

 

“What’s it feel like then?” 

 

“Well,” Tony says, thinking back to times he has flown through a cloud in his suit. “I could show you?” 

 

Tony’s suit forms around him suddenly. “FRIDAY, where’s that gag gift I made for Pepper a while back?” he asked, and suddenly he found himself tearing into a box with a small Iron Man helmet. He smiled wryly before putting it on top of Peter’s head. 

 

“Why?” Peter asked, grabbing at the bottom of the mask. 

 

“Keep this on, so you can breathe,” Tony said, picking him up. He went out on his balcony and flew high up into the sky. It took a short while for them to reach, but once he did, Peter anxiously looked down. 

 

“Whoa,” he said in disbelief. “People.” 

 

“Yeah. People,” Tony said, more amazed that Peter found the tiny humans littering Earth’s surface cooler than the fact they were mere inches away from clouds. 

 

“So many!” he yelped suddenly. He reached his arms out suddenly, and Tony remembered to keep a tight hold around the child. His hand brushed through the cloud, and he was shocked to find his arm covered in water. “Whoa.” He inspected his hand before slapping it against Tony’s forehead. “Wet.” 

 

“Yeah,” he grimaced. 

 

Peter looked down suddenly, studying the humans. “Do they miss me?” 

 

“Your Aunt and Uncle miss you a lot,” Tony says, knowing the missing posters that were hung. “Would you like to see them?” 

 

“What if they don’t want me anymore?” Peter asked. “What if they throw me out like Master did?” 

 

“They won’t,” he said. “I promise.” 

 

…

 

“So what about it? You wanna see them?” 

 

“I’m scared,” he confessed. 

 

“I’ll be with you the entire time, okay?” Peter nodded weakly. FRIDAY had the address pulled up in no time. However, the closer Tony flew to the surface, the tighter Peter’s hands wrapped around his neck. 

 

“No,” he cried suddenly. “No, please!” 

 

Tony stopped instantly mid air. “We don’t have to. Not yet.” Peter looked hesitantly to the ground below. “But they still looking for you, missing you. It’s not right for you to stay with me forever.” 

 

“You’re going to leave me?” Tony looked to him then, trying to imagine how his face looked under the mask. The fear in his eyes didn’t leave room for anything else. 

 

He tried to reply, but his mouth got stuck on those words. There’s a thousand things he could say right now, anything better than keeping his mouth shut, but he doesn’t speak. He can’t; he’s at a complete loss for words. 

 

He knows not to make promises he can’t keep. He knows he can’t always be there for a child that isn’t his. And, oh god, that made his heart  _ hurt.  _ There’s an aunt and an uncle out there who have already lost so much, and he’s keeping their nephew from  them. How selfish can he be? 

 

“You’re not mine, Peter.” Apparently that was a whole worse thing to say because Peter then tried to pry himself out of his arms. “But I’ll be always be there for you.” 

 

_ Liar.  _

 

His mouth runs dry. Even as Peter’s shaking figure seems to settle, his heart is pounding a million times an hour. 

 

_ Liar. Liar. Liar.  _

 

He tries to shake it off for now to focus on the bundle held to his chest, but his efforts are ignored when a shudder runs down Peter’s spine.

 

_ What am I going to do with a kid? He’s not even my kid. I can’t keep him.  _

 

He glanced over to Peter, whose face was buried into a little Debbie box. 

 

_ I can’t keep him, can I?  _

 

As much as it hurt his heart, he knew he couldn’t. His aunt and uncle were out there, waiting for their nephew to come home. 

 

“Well, if you’re gonna be here for a while, I guess I need to buy you some stuff,” he said. “What do kids your age need? Like, a crib?” 

 

“I usually sleep on the floor,” Peter offered. 

 

“You’re not gonna sleep on the floor anymore.” Tony slid on his coat. “I gotta go buy you some stuff, alright? You just stay here.” 

 

“You’re leaving me?” Peter exclaimed. “You can’t!” 

 

“I can’t bring you with me,” Tony said. 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“You can’t go out in a suit like that.” 

 

“You go out in a suit,” Peter offered. “Iron Man.” Tony raised his eyebrow. “I was trained to kill you, you know.”

 

“That’s different, Peter. I’ll be real quick, I promise.” With that, he closes the door behind him and heads out. On his way, he bumps into Happy, who offers to drive him, but he has to decline. How else would he explain the baby clothes? 

 

Meanwhile, Peter was panicking. He looked around anxiously before sprinting to the window. He sucked in a huge breath before slipping out. He sticks to the side of the glass and scouts the parking lot for Tony. 

 

Tony was just pulling out of the driveway when Peter took flight. He started free falling almost immediately. 

 

“Sweet Caroline, bum, bum— What the hell?” Tony stopped tapping his fingers on the wheel when a thud sounded from the top of his car. He stopped instantly when he saw the tiny foot on the glass. “Peter?” 

 

Peter slipped in through the rear view window. “Hi,” he greeted. 

 

“What are you doing?” Tony exclaimed, frustrated with the kid. “I told you to stay! You can’t go in like that.” Peter just stared back. “I already stick out because I’m, well, I’m Tony Stark.” 

 

“Please don’t leave me alone,” Peter mumbled, and Tony sighed. 

 

“Okay. It’s late, anyways.” Tony stared at him for a moment. “What are you waiting for? Buckle in.” 

 

Peter slid into the seat and struggled to pull the seatbelt. Tony rolled his eyes and buckled him. 

 

“Alright, what do kids your age need?” Tony hummed. “Clothes, first.” 

 

“I have clothes,” Peter said, picking at his shirt. 

 

“Normal clothes,” Tony corrected. “You can’t go out in  _ that.”  _

 

Tony parked the car and scooped the child out of the car. He slipped on a gray sweatshirt and a baseball cap. He studied the oddly dressed child for a moment before picking him up and heading into the parking lot. 

 

It was already relatively late at night, so the store was practically empty. A bored teenager sat at the cash register, scrolling through her phone. Tony sighed out of relief and set Peter down on the cart. 

 

He pushed the cart into the clothes section of the store. “This looks like it could fit,” Tony says, holding up a shirt with a train on it. He matched it up to Peter’s body then tossed it in the buggy. 

 

Tony started to search through the clothes. Peter, somewhat bored, started to peer off the side. He spotted a red and yellow onesie. Getting excited, he started to reach for it. He got on his toes when he heard a shriek. “Sir, your kid--”

 

Tony, barely registering “kid,” turned around after a couple seconds, albeit too late. The employee stocking the shelves was picking up Peter. “This little guy almost tipped over,” she said, starting to pass him off. She looked towards the cart. “You don’t have a seat?” 

 

“That’s actually the next thing on the list,” Tony said, picking him up. 

 

The employee, a tall girl whose nametag read “Claire,” glanced skeptically at his cart full of clothes. “Do you need help with anything?”

 

Tony paused. He was a billionaire genius. He didn’t need help. 

 

…

He looked to Peter, who was squeezing on an Iron Man onesie as if his life depended on it. “Yes, please.” 

 

She smiled. “Is it just new clothes and a seat today?” 

 

“Uh, no,” he said. “What all does a two year old need, anyways?”

 

Her smile faded, and she grew pale. “Sir, is this a joke?” 

 

Tony laughed so long that it was awkward. “Well, okay,” she said. “Marcy!” A crash sounded, then after a long delay, a blonde haired girl showed up. 

 

“What?” she huffed, blowing hair out of her face. 

 

“New dad,” she said, jabbing a thumb in Tony’s direction. 

 

Marcy looked over to Tony and Peter. Her bored expression broke out into a huge grin. “Oh, you’re in for it, man.” 

 

“Marcy, just go!” Claire said, pushing her off. She turned back to Tony. “Does he have his own nursery, or will he be sharing a room?” She started walking towards the beds, and Tony followed. 

 

“His own nursery,” Tony said, which caused Peter to make a face. 

 

“You’ll need one of these, then. I recommend this one!” She pointed to a rather expensive crib. “It’s a little pricey, though.”

 

“Price isn’t an issue. Whatever this kid needs, he’s getting.”

 

“With all due respect, sir, kids need an awful lot,” she said. 

 

Tony figured as much. “That crib will do just fine.” Claire scribbled something down. “I’ll just take it out with me. No need to ship it.” Claire made a face, but Tony was already passing Peter to Claire so he could lift up the box. Stunned, Claire stood. “How about a carrier?” 

 

She snapped out of it. “Right,” she mused, scampering off. 

 

A few hours later, Tony had acquired everything Peter could possibly need. Marcy returned moments later with a bag full of diapers, foods, and lotions. Although price wasn’t an issue, Tony wasn’t sure he needed all that. “On the house,” Claire said. Tony smiled. “I think that should be all.” 

 

Tony looked around the store. “I would sure hope so,” Marcy said. “You bought about one of everything.” 

 

Claire elbowed her, and Tony laughed. “Thank you, both. Have a nice night.” He started for the door when Claire chased after him. 

 

“You sure you can carry that to your car all by yourself?” she asked, stars in her eyes. 

 

“I’ll be fine,” Tony said. “Good night.” He unloaded all the boxes into his car. He sunk into the driver seat, sighing. “Guess I’m building you a room, uh, kid?” He looked to the empty passenger seat. “Oh.” He froze. “You’re not in here.” He jumped out of the car and ran back into the store. 

 

Marcy was back to scrolling through her phone. Claire was re-stocking from Tony’s massive buying spree. “He grow out of his clothes already?” Claire giggled. 

 

Tony couldn’t manage to laugh. “Peter!” he called, looking down the aisles. 

 

“He’s in the toy aisle,” Marcy called. 

 

“You left him?” Claire exclaimed. “And you knew?” Marcy shrugged. 

 

Tony didn’t waste anytime running across the store. “Peter,” he exhaled, looking at the baby on the ground. 

 

Peter sat, criss-cross apple sauce, on the cold floor. He stared at a picture frame in his hands. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” Tony said. “Are you okay? How’d you get here?” He leaned to pick him up, but Peter didn’t budge. He held up the frame. 

 

“Who’s this?” 

 

“What?” Tony asked. He looked to the frame. “It’s a family. Some models, or something.” 

 

Peter, blank in the face, didn’t look away. “I want one.” 

 

“We have frames at home,” Tony said, already feeling like a parent. “Let’s get going?” Tony put the frame back on the shelf and picked Peter off. As Tony was walking, he shot a web to the frame and stuffed it inside his shirt. 

 

Tony sunk into the car. If Peter noticed Tony had left the store and got mad about it, he didn’t show it. Maybe he was so distracted by the frames he didn’t even notice? Tony hoped so. Even still, he felt terrible. He’s barely had this kid, and he already almost abandoned him. 

 

Tony looked to the stuffed backseat. He had bought everything a kid could possibly need. He practically purchased the entire store. However, would it be enough? After all, this wasn’t just any two-year-old. He was an Enhanced. He even tried to kill Tony! 

 

Still, looking to the forlorn expression on Peter’s small face, he couldn’t feel anything but love and worry. 

 

He could buy anything on the planet, but could he give him what he really wanted: a family? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while,,,,


	4. message to bears - mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> note: I messed up his age last chapter, peter’s a lil over two   
> ***also normal two year old’s are nowhere near as advanced, but peter is a lil genius 
> 
> I’m sorry if I’m bad at writing Pepper?? Never written her before??? 
> 
> also the avengers will appear soon!1!1!!!!! I promise!’n

“So… What do you think?” Tony Stark stood in front of the newly designed nursery, a private room next to his own. Peter was skeptical. “This is your new room.” 

 

“My room,” he repeated, walking around. “What is all of this stuff?” He walked up to a bouncer and poked at it. 

 

Tony smiled wryly. “I realize you’re mature for your age, but you’re still young.” That didn’t do anything at all to sway Peter. “It’s a bouncer. You sit in it.” 

 

“Why?” Peter asked, inspecting it. 

 

“I don’t know; kids just like them,” Tony replied. “Why don’t you try sitting in it?” Peter looked back at him with a scrunched up face. “Maybe later.” 

 

Peter continued to investigate the room, stopping at his crib. Tony looked outside, realizing it was well past his bedtime. They’d spent a long time at the store and an even longer time setting up his room. Tony picked up Peter and placed him in the crib, which instantly broke Peter out of his trance. 

 

“No! No! I’ll be good,” Peter cried, climbing to his feet. He struggled to peer at Tony over the bars of the crib. “Please let me out!” 

 

“Shh,” Tony hushed. “Do you not like it?”

 

Peter’s eyes bugged out of his head. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Please, please, I won’t do it again!” 

 

Tony scooped him up again. “What’s gotten into you?” 

 

“You put me in the cage,” Peter said, shaking. “I hate the cage.” 

 

“Peter, that’s a crib. You sleep in it.” Tony swayed to set him down in it, and he started to climb up his body. “Okay, okay! Hey, it’s okay.” 

 

“I’m sorry for being bad,” Peter said, sitting on his shoulder. “Don’t punish me.” 

 

“It’s a bed,” Tony said. “Although, I can see where it looks like a cage. They build it like that so babies don’t fall out of bed, not because they were bad.” Peter sighed out of relief, but he was still shaking. “I guess you don’t need one.” He relaxed further. “It is time for bed, though. It’s late for you.” 

 

“M’kay,” he mumbled in response. As soon as Peter’s back hit the bed, he was out like a light. Tony pulled the blanket over his resting body. 

 

Tony watched his chest rise and fall for a long time. He sat, awake, unable to sleep. Watching Peter sleep put him in a trance, almost. He snapped out of it when his phone started to go off. He quickly silenced it and snuck a glance to make sure Peter was still fast asleep. 

 

Stepping out into the hallway, he answered the call. “Hello?” 

 

“Hi, Tony,” Pepper said solemnly. 

 

“What’re you doing calling so late?” he said for a lack of anything better to say. 

 

“Oh what, like you were sleeping?” Pepper joked. “I know I can’t. Tony, I can’t sleep knowing you’re suffering like this. Maybe I should come back.” 

 

Tony blanked. He really was doing better, but now he’s got a child to hide. Somehow he doesn’t think Pepper would approve of the murderer snuggled up in his bed. 

 

“How’s Barbados been?” Tony asked. 

 

“Don’t avoid my question,” Pepper spat. On the other end of the phone, Pepper sat on her bed with her knees to her chest. Her expression settled. “Bruce says you haven’t been out of your room much lately. Not even for the lab.” Tony fell silent. “Tony, why won’t you tell me what’s going on? If we’re going to be married one day, we have to share everything with each other. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” 

 

Pepper took a deep inhale at the end, and Tony knew she was crying. “You mean everything to me,” Tony said. “It’s time we talk.” He exhaled. “I need to see you.”

 

“Do you really think I could’ve gone on a vacation while you were suffering?” Tony lowered the phone and turned around. Pepper was there, dressed in her pajamas. Tony ran to her then, wrapping her in a hug. “You really have too many rooms.” She laughed in the midst of her crying. They stood there, holding each other, for a while in silence. All good things come to an end. This time, in the form of a child falling off a bed. “What was that?” 

 

“Nothing,” he lied quickly, which he probably could’ve been smarter about that. Somewhere, though, he knew she had to know. “It’s just… I have a surprise for you.” 

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to expect another teddy bear?” She gasped. “Tony,  _ no,  _ it better not be a real bear.” 

 

“It’s not,” he said quickly. “Probably better if it was…” 

 

“Tony!” 

 

“It’s temporary,” he said. “Just for a bit… Also, might wanna stand back.” 

 

He carefully creaked open the door. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” 

 

There’s a stirring on the floor that makes Pepper’s heart jump. She tenses in fear, waiting for something to jump out at her. 

 

Instead, a little head emerges from the pile of blankets on the floor. He slowly turns around, rubbing his eyes. 

 

“This is Peter,” Tony introduced. “He’s going to stay with us for a while.” 

 

“Tony,  _ what?”  _ She exclaimed. “You can’t—“ 

 

“Shh,” he hushed. “It’s a long story.” 

 

“Explain!” She yelped, confused. 

 

“I’m sorry, I have to take care of him—” 

 

“Why do you have a baby on the  _ floor?”  _ She gasped, horrified. She scooped the confused Peter off the floor, who was pretending to be an actual child again. Tony, stunned, watched as Pepper bounced the baby in her arms. “You left him, alone, on the ground?” 

 

Tony, flabbergasted, was at a loss for words. Pepper buzzed around, holding her hand up to his forehead. “Poor thing! You ought to get sick like that,” she said. “Who left you in charge of this little thing?” 

 

Pepper had spun on her heels, revealing Peter’s confused face. Tony almost laughed. “He’s…” 

 

“We have a day care here; why are you watching him?” She asked, confused. 

 

“He’s…” Tony trailed off. “I have to take care of him for a bit. He’s my responsibility.” 

 

“Don’t,” Pepper said, holding up her free hand as she struggled to process this, “tell me… You made him in the lab?” 

 

“Not his lab,” Peter spoke up suddenly. Pepper, who was already stunned, blew her eyes wide. “Doctor Octavious’s lab.” 

 

“What…? Who—“ 

 

“Peter!” Tony said, putting a finger over his lips. Peter clasped his hands over his mouth. 

 

“Sorry,” he apologized. 

 

“And you weren’t made in a lab, you know that,” Tony corrected. “Cat’s out of the bag. Pepper, meet Peter. He’s a two year old assassin who’s gonna be living with us.” 

 

“Is it safe now?” Peter whispered, quite loudly. Tony nodded. “Hi, I’m… Peter?” Tony nodded again, motioning him to continue, that he, in fact, was named Peter. That that was who he was. 

 

“Hi, Peter,” Pepper said. “Where’s your mom and dad?” 

 

He shrugged. “Dead,” he said, wriggling around in her grip. “Why’d you tell her I’m two?” 

 

“Because you are two,” Tony argued. 

 

“Oh,” he said. “Are we positive about that?” 

 

“So he’s…” 

 

“Long story short, he was sent to kill me by a super villain, but things didn’t quite work out. So he’s mine now until he’s ready to go back to his aunt and uncle.” Peter shot up at that. “Eventually,” Tony said gently. 

 

“Ah,” Pepper said, struggling to process this. “I think I need to sit down.” 

 

Pepper collapsed on the bed, Peter crashing down with her. “I’ll get you a water,” Tony said, walking out the room. 

 

“No—“ Pepper started to say, but he was gone. She was left alone with the child. “Hi there.” 

 

“Hi,” Peter said, uneasy. 

 

“You’re supposed to be two?” She asked. 

 

“Almost three,” he said. “I think.” 

 

“Right,” she said. “I don’t know what he was thinking — taking care of a child. Your family, why aren’t you with them?” 

 

He bit his lip. “I like it here,” he said. 

 

Pepper didn’t understand — not at first, at least, but the more and more time she spent studying the child’s face, the more she understood. 

 

She wanted nothing more than to hold him. “Well, that’s fine.” She spoke softly. “They must miss you.” 

 

Peter twiddled his thumb. “I wouldn’t know,” he said. “Maybe they do.” 

 

“I know I would.” 

 

“Do you have a kid?” He asked with earnest. 

 

“N..No, I don’t,” she said. “But if I did, I’d be sad if he was gone.” 

 

Somewhere, he was being mourned. This was somebody’s family, or what was left of it. 

 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Tony apologized, bursting in with a glass of water. Pepper was okay, though, just calmly chatting with Peter. “Is everything okay?” 

 

“Yeah,” Pepper said. “It’s fine.” They stared at each other in silence. “Actually, no, it’s not. Have you even got him checked by a doctor? Do you even know what a baby  _ needs? _ ” 

 

“I have a crib,” Peter said, scrunching his nose up at the word. 

 

“I can’t take him to a doctor,” Tony said. “He’s a missing child.” 

 

“He might have… I don’t know! But he might have something,” she struggled. “Maybe Bruce can check her out?” 

 

“They don’t know yet.” 

 

“Tony, he needs a doctor.” 

 

“Please!” Peter’s voice rang out suddenly. “I don’t need a Doctor! I don’t wanna go back!” 

 

“No, Peter, not him. Not Octavious. A doctor,” he corrected, “is a good person who wants to make you feel better.” 

 

“Or someone who holds a doctorate,” Peter said. 

 

“Right, I forgot you were smart,” he said, clasping his hands together. “Yeah, okay. We can see a doctor. Make sure everything is okay.” 

 

“It  _ is  _ okay,” Peter said. 

 

“He’s lived in a lab, for what, two years?” Pepper asked. “Yeah, you need a doctor.” 

 

“I can promise you I’m fine. I checked myself over many times down in the lab,” Peter said. “No doctor needed.” Peter’s stomach grumbled loudly. 

 

“When’s the last time you fed him?” Pepper asked. “How about we go get you some food?” 

 

“I left food stocked in here for you,” Tony said, and Pepper started towards the supply. 

 

“He can’t live off this,” Pepper said. “Let’s go out somewhere to eat.” 

 

“Outside?” Peter asked, looking out the window. 

 

“Yeah,” Pepper said. “Why not? He looks like he could use some sunlight.” 

 

Pepper picked out an outfit for him. Peter was dressed in a romper with ducks on it. 

 

Sneaking past the people in the Compound wasn’t that difficult. Peter could fit into Pepper’s purse, which made things a lot easier. However, if the media catches wind about him, things could get rough. 

 

Somehow, though, Tony felt guilty harboring him inside. Peter had been deprived all of his life. How could he continue to lock him inside all alone? 

 

The restaurant was private enough they didn’t have to worry so much. Peter poked out of her purse, wincing at the brightness. “Here,” Pepper said, sliding off her gigantic sunglasses and sliding them on top of his face. “These should help.” 

 

Peter smiled and adjusted them on his face. 

 

Even when they entered the dimly lit room, Peter kept the sunglasses on. “Would you care to sit outside today?” the hostess asked. 

 

Tony didn’t miss the way Peter’s chest hitched. “Yes,” Tony said, and Peter seemed overjoyed. 

 

A highchair was brought out for Peter, who sat in between the two. 

 

Tony had been worried about them meeting, but Pepper didn’t seem too… upset. At first, Tony thought she was going to have a stroke, but now, she’s entirely infatuated with this child. It’s not like Tony can blame her, either. 

 

Sitting in outside, holding pieces of omelette, foods that Peter had never tasted before, was more of a reminder of the crime they were committing. Such a precious moment that he could be having with his real family. 

 

Peter’s not ready for them. It’ll be a long time before then. Tony, however, might not ever be ready to give him up. 

 

“What’s that?” Peter asked, pulling Tony out of his thoughts. There were no people nearby, no one to freak out at Peter’s solid sentence structure. 

 

“A crepe,” Pepper answered. “Want to try it?” 

 

Peter, hesitant, pondered it for a moment. She held a piece out to him on a spoon. “It’s okay, go ahead.” 

 

Peter happily chomped on it. He swallowed it, then made a funny face. “What, you don’t like it?” Tony asked. 

 

His confused face started to contort. “No,” he said, scrunching up his nose. He opened his mouth to speak again, but he stopped as he saw a couple walk out. 

 

Pepper noticed his staring and peeked behind them. She cringed at the sand seeping out of the husband’s shoes. “Someone just came back from the beech,” she noted. “It is nice out today. Maybe we should go.” 

 

Peter looked nervously to the couple, not wanting to give away his cover. “Why?” he whispered, thinking of the burning rays of sun. 

 

“You know what? We should go,” Tony agreed. He studied Peter’s worried face. “Maybe when it cools down a little, though.” Peter settled. 

 

“Yeah,” he whispered back. “Maybe.” 

 

“For now, though, how about we go get some desert? Something not crepe related?” Pepper asked, scooping up a giggling Peter. 

 

Tony watched as she lifted him up into the air and raise him over her head, then back down again to press a kiss to his forehead. 

 

He brought his hand up to his face and investigated the engagement ring on his finger. 

 

As he watched Pepper, all Tony could think about was how much he loved her and how badly it hurt not to be married to her at that second. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Dissolve

_ “Psst!” _

 

_ …. _

 

_ “Psst! Hey! Wake up.”  _

 

_ Peter turned over on his stomach. He looked over to the older man in his cage. “You’re up,” he said, sounding relieved.  _

 

_ The relief in his voice confused Peter. As soon as he awoke, the dread of living had filled his stomach. “It’s rest time, Scarlet,” he warned. “You’ll get us in trouble.”  _

 

_ “Master’s out, and he will be for a while.” Scarlet Spider hesitated. “C’mon, there’s something I wanna show you.”  _

 

_ Peter didn’t budge. He rolled back over. After realizing he wasn’t going to come willingly, Scarlet Spider scooped him off the ground. Peter’s Spidey Sense had warned him, though, and he’d jumped up before he could touch him. “Scarlet!” he hissed, but it wasn’t a fair match. “Put me down.”  _

 

_ “Chill,” he said, walking out through the door. Peter relaxed on his shoulder. “You’ll like this.” Peter’s heart wrenched as they walked past the library. “How’re the books going?”  _

 

_ “I’ve already read them.”  _

 

_ “I’ll have to sneak you some more, huh,” he mumbled. “You go through those quick.” They continued to walk through the vast hallway. “You’ll have to teach me how to read someday.”  _

 

_ “Okay,” Peter said. “I’d like that.”  _

 

_ They finally came to a stop. Peter held his breath as Scarlet creaked open a door. Instantly, he was met with bright blue light. Peter had never seen anything like it before.  _

 

_ “Scarlet, hey! And… Oh shit,” a boy greeted.  _

 

_ Instantly he was smacked in the head. “You’re not supposed to curse in front of kids, V!” a girl scolded.  _

 

_ Peter was overwhelmed. He knew three people: master, Scarlet, and Master’s boss. He read about people in books, but he’d never imagine they looked like this, like him.  _

 

_ “Hi,” the girl greeted gently. “I’m Silk.”  _

 

_ “Hi,” Peter echoed. “I’m Slave.”  _

 

_ The boy from earlier snorted. “No way.”  _

 

_ “I call him Spidey,” Scarlet said.  _

 

_ “No!” Peter yelped. “You can’t; he gets mad. He gets mad.”  _

 

_ “You’re okay,” Silk said. She holds her hands out. “Can I hold him?”  _

 

_ V, the boy, peered over her shoulder. Peter was cautiously passed off to Silk. “They mean well, Spidey.”  _

 

_ Peter felt… warm. It was a welcome feeling. His eyes started to flutter shut again; he couldn’t help it, even though he had just woken up. Then he remembered that he wasn’t supposed to be here, and his eyes shot open. “He’ll get mad.”  _

 

_ “He’s always mad,” Scarlet said. “Besides, it was time you meet the others.”  _

 

_ “Others?” he asked.  _

 

_ “Yeah, we’re just like you. Brothers, yeah?” V said.  _

 

_ “Brothers.”  _

 

When Peter awoke, he repeated the silent word. The room was dark, and he dreamed of the soft blue light. He missed it. 

 

Brothers. 

 

He looked to the sleeping bodies next to him. He’d been sleeping between the two, but somehow Tony had reached over and caught Pepper’s hands. She snored loudly, which made Peter want to laugh. He didn’t though, not with the memory of his brothers on his mind. 

 

That memory hadn’t ended well. He was never supposed to meet the others. He never saw them again after that night. Scarlet still visited occasionally, to that lonely cell where he lived by himself. The others, however, he never saw. Master wouldn’t allow it. 

 

Master didn’t allow a lot of things. Reading anything besides non-fiction was a big rule of his. However, Scarlet used to sneak him books. His favorite was always a fat collection of stories by someone named Edgar Allen Poe. His second favorite was a book about some girl named Tinkerbell. He read those a lot. 

 

Peter looked at the sleeping two and decided he didn’t want to go back to bed. With a new mission in mind, he set off into the house. 

 

Tony’s house was huge. The word he used was compound, which Peter didn’t understand much. He walked the hallways, looking around each corner. 

 

“Young Master?” Friday asked. Peter jumped. 

 

“Hi,” he whispered. “I’m looking for a book.” 

 

“Would you like directions to the library?” 

 

“Yes,” Peter said, and a well-lit path appeared for him. Peter stumbled across the hallway, into an elevator, down another hallway, and then finally stopped in front of huge doors. 

 

Peter had to climb up on the wall to reach the doorknob. Once inside, Peter felt as if he might pass out. 

 

The room was so tall! There were computers around at every corner, and black screens on every wall. Peter stayed clear of them, and he headed straight for the books. 

 

Peter spent the next twenty minutes pulling out any and every book that sounded interesting to him. He’d just reached the self-help section when he spotted a man. Peter froze. 

 

A blonde man was flipping through the pages of a World War II documentation. Peter looked to the large pile of books he’d left on the floor, and he knew the man would notice. It was only a matter of time. 

 

He had to get out of there. 

 

Peter was just about to jump to the ceiling when he was spotted. 

 

“Whoa, what’re you doing down here, little guy?” he asked, confused. 

 

Oh. He forgot what he looked like to others. Peter made a shrugging notion. 

 

“Where’s your mom?” He asked, looking around. “Why are you awake so late, anyways?” 

 

A book on the shelf caught Peter’s attention. Before he knew it, he was waddling towards it. He yanked the green book that was barely in his reach. “That might be a bit too advanced for you, bud,” the man said, reaching to take it out of his hands. Before he could, though, Peter retracted quickly. 

 

He looked down at the  _ Tinkerbell  _ book in the child’s hands. “Okay, okay, fine. Hold on to your book while we find your mom.” He held his hand out to Peter, and Peter flinched. His Spidey sense hasn’t warned him. Was it failing him? Or was he simply not a threat? 

 

The man lightly grabbed ahold of Peter’s hand since he wasn’t getting the idea. They stepped out of the library and started walking towards the daycare. As he had expected, there was no one there. 

 

“Mr. Rogers,” a woman greeted from the dark. “And who’s this?” 

 

“I was hoping you’d know,” he said, gesturing to the child. “Is he one of yours?” 

 

The woman glanced the child up and down. “Nope, I’ve never seen him before. We’ve got new employees lately, though… I could check?” 

 

“If you would,” he said. 

 

“You think his mom forgot to take him home?” 

 

“Ma’am, you shouldn’t say that kind of thing in front of him,” he gently warned. 

 

“What? It’s not like he understands,” the daycare worker shrugged. She was balancing a child on her hip. 

 

Little did she know, Peter did understand. He understood every single word she was saying. However, his knowledge of his parents is very limited.

 

_ Mom,  _ Peter thought to himself. He struggled to build up a picture of what his mother would’ve looked like, but his memory failed him. He thought of his brothers and his sister. He thought of how it felt when she held him. 

 

“Oh no,” the man was saying. Next thing Peter knew he was crouched down and wiping the tears off of his face. “It’s okay, bud. We’ll find her.” 

 

“You think she abandoned him?” The woman asked. 

 

“What?” Mr. Rogers hissed. 

 

“It’s happened before,” she says, shrugging. “Dropping a kid off at a compound and then dashing?” 

 

“We should call CPS,” he said. He watched as the child continued to whimper. “That can wait, though.” He went to pick up the child, and he started to cry more. He moved away from him. “I’m Steve. I’ll help you get back somewhere safe, okay?” 

 

Somewhere safe. Where was that exactly? 

 

Peter thinks about the lab. He thinks about the cold. He thinks about his abandoned family, all still rotting down there, all still hurting. He thinks of Tony, who has done nothing but protect him. He thinks of his mom. 

 

He started to cry in earnest. Steve was able to swoop in and pick him up while he was distracted with his crying. He tried to rock him, but it didn’t help. Nothing did. 

 

Peter started to wriggle in his grip. “No,” he cried out suddenly. Steve raised his eyebrows. Shocked, he let the kid jump out of his arms. He started to run, but his speed was no match to Steve’s superhuman strength. 

 

“It’s gonna be okay, kid,” Steve said, cradling the kid. Peter gave up then, curling up in on himself. 

 

Meanwhile, Tony stirred in his bed. He awoke with the sleeping Pepper next to him. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took in the beauty of her. Then, realization hit him. Peter was missing. 

 

“Friday, where is he?” He asked, climbing out of bed. 

 

“With Mr. Rogers,” she replied. “In the common quarters.” 

 

Tony had never ran so fast. 

 

When he walked into the quarters, Steve was sitting on the couch with Peter on his lap. He was slowly scribbling on a piece of paper. “What’s that supposed to be?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows. 

 

“I see you found Peter,” Tony said. Steve turned his head.

 

“Oh, thank goodness. You know him?” Steve asked, sighing out of relief. “I found him alone in the library.” 

 

“Must’ve wandered off,” Tony shrugged. 

 

“Who is he?” Steve asked, making Tony gulp. 

 

“Uh, one of Pepper’s friend’s kid,” he lied. “We were watching him.” 

 

“Well, you should put him to bed,” Steve said, passing him over. “Even though he seems wide awake.” 

 

Tony accepted Peter. “What’re you doing awake?” he asked, squinting. He looked to Steve. “Thank you for finding him. We’re gonna turn in now.” 

 

“Good night, Peter,” Steve called. He waved as Tony started to walk off. 

 

“Good night,” he echoed back, surprising Steve. “Smart kid, that one.” 

 

As soon as Steve was out of hearing range, Tony blew up. “What were you thinking?” He hissed. “I thought you were hurt. Scared me half to death.” 

 

Peter flinched. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I wanted a book.” 

 

“A book?” Tony asked. “Didn’t know you were a big reader.” 

 

Peter thought about Scarlet. 

 

He couldn’t take it. 

 

He let out a choked sob. “Peter? What’s wrong?” Tony asked. 

 

“I want to meet my mom.” 

 

Tony’s heart clenched. “Peter,” he said softly. “You don’t have a mom.” 

 

“...May? You said there was a woman named May?” 

 

“Your aunt and uncle,” Tony supplied. “You want to meet them?” 

 

“Yeah,” he said. Then again, in confidence. “Yeah! I want to meet them.” 

 

Tony managed a smile. “Well, not right now. They’re sleeping right now.” 

 

“We can wake them up,” Peter said, making tony laugh again. 

 

“Morning,” he promised. “We’ll visit. In the meantime, we sleep too.” Tony creaked open the door to his bedroom and fell back on the bed. 

 

Peter snuggled in between Tony and Pepper, who had moved closer the moment they fell back. 

 

When Peter slept, he dreamt of fairies and the preposterous idea of having a mother. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah so I’ve been a tad bit busy w wrestling, but now that it’s over I have more time to update!!! 
> 
> also I know it’s hard to tell but for those of you who don’t know your spiderverse, Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly), V (Agent Venom - Flash Thompson), and the girl is Silk (Cindy)!!!


	6. blood is thicker than water

Peter had gotten used to exploring. That’s all he wanted to do nowadays. When he lived in the lab, he had a strict routine of doing whatever his Master decided. The freetime he had was spent sitting in his cage. 

 

Peter had a room now, but he didn’t spend much time in there. He spent more time walking around Tony’s house. There was a lot of people who came to his house, especially in the day time. Sometimes Peter will watch them through the security cameras. He’s spent hours doing nothing but watching someone fill out paperwork. 

 

There was just something so fascinating about all the different people. He’d only known a few people in his first years, so one could imagine his surprise after finding how other people existed. Not only did they exist, but they all looked so different from one another. 

 

Tony was somewhat strict about him going off on his own. He tended to keep Peter away from others as much as he could. Peter was not to go into the busy parts of the tower alone. However, a certain part of the compound was free for him to roam. 

 

Peter did most of his wandering at night. Pepper would take him to bed, and she’d try to coax Tony into going to sleep, too. He doesn’t sleep, though. Not much. Peter doesn’t know where he goes. Pepper says he works, but Peter’s never asked more about it. Pepper works all day. She always comes home exhausted. 

 

She tries to cook for him sometimes, insists it’s better than the stuff Tony orders, but by the time it gets too late, she passes out. Peter can only tuck her in and explore the compound. 

 

He usually comes out at night. It’s safe, here, he knows. No one should be up here. 

 

“FRIDAY?” Peter whispers gently in the night. “Where’s Tony?” 

 

“He’s in his workspace,” she replies. “Would you like me to notify him?” 

 

“No,” Peter says, shaking his head. He sighs, then he walks to the library again. He checks with FRIDAY to make sure no one is inside before slipping in. 

 

He drags out some of the books he’d been meaning to read and he lugs them out in the living room. He sets the pile of books down with a thud and plops down on the couch. 

 

“Whoa,” Peter said, astonished. He flipped through the pages of a book, but on every page was a colorful picture. “Whoa! What’s this?” 

 

“A comic book,” FRIDAY replied. 

 

“A comic book,” he echoed. “Wow.” As he read through it, he couldn’t shake the thought of how much Scarlet would enjoy this. He put the book to the side. “FRIDAY, do you sleep?” 

 

“I can be shut off,” she said. 

 

“Oh,” Peter said. “Does Tony sleep?” 

 

“Sometimes.” 

 

“Do we need to shut him off?” 

 

A sudden snickering brought Peter out of his conversation. He turned around to see Pepper. 

 

“If only we could,” she sighed, falling back on the couch. “I wish.” 

 

“Hi, Pepper,” Peter greeted. “Why aren’t you asleep?” 

 

“It was… cold,” she said, stretching her arms. “What’re you doing up? Some reading?” She let out a sigh. “You’re so much like him.” 

 

Peter didn’t know what to say to that. She kept talking, so he didn’t really need to. “I’m going to be at a conference tomorrow.” Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyebrows were furrowed together. Peter didn’t like looking at her when she looked like that. “I might not be back until a while.” She looked at Peter. “You’ll be okay?” 

 

“Yeah,” he said, but he didn’t know if he even believed himself. He’d spent so long by himself, he didn’t even know. 

 

It was different now. 

 

Now that he knew how nice it felt to be held, he never wanted to be let go. 

 

However, his answer seemed to settle Pepper. “You’re such a good kid,” she said, and Peter beamed. She smiled, but it faded after a moment. Her resting face was pained. 

 

“You should sleep.” Pepper didn’t say anything to that. “I’m tired, too.” 

 

“You are?” She sounded relieved. 

 

Again, he didn’t mean it. “Yeah,” he said. She carried him up to the room again. 

 

Peter didn’t want to sit in the bed since sleep was the last thing on his mind. He was bored out of his mind, but sitting next to a restful Pepper made him feel at ease. 

 

In hindsight, he probably should’ve laid down. After all, he had one hell of a day ahead.

 

Pepper awoke, and she left for work. Peter helped her make toast, turn on the coffee maker, and he helped set out her stuff. He even picked an outfit for her, but she ended up wearing something else. Fashion wasn’t his strong suit, apparently. Pepper was thankful, anyways, because she pressed a kiss down on his forehead. 

 

She presented him with one piece or the toast he had made. “I’m late!” she hissed, running out. “Bye, bye, kiddo, be safe. Don’t drink the coffee!” And on that note, she was gone. 

 

It didn’t take long for Peter to get lonely 

 

“Friday, where’s Tony’s workspace?” he asked only after a couple minutes. 

 

Instantly, a trail of blue lights appeared on the floor. “Thank you,” he said politely, thanks to Pepper’s lessons. He followed the trail down the hallway, through the elevator. 

 

“What is this?” he whispered, looking around. This entire floor is vacant, not a person in sight. “Where is he?” 

 

“You will find him in his lab,” Friday notified him. 

 

“Lab?” He echoed. “Why does he have a lab?” 

 

Peter had lived in a lab for the majority of his life, and it’s safe to say he doesn’t have the fondest memories of that place. He took off in a sprint, throwing open the doors to the lab. “Tony!” he yelped, running through the lab. “Tony!” 

 

He spotted Tony and jumped five feet in the air to land in his arms. Tony dropped the mug in his hand, and it clattered to the floor. “Peter,” he gaped, shocked. “What are you doing here?” 

 

“I missed you,” he confessed, burying his face. Tony set him down on his desk. 

 

“You can’t do that, kid. I liked that mug,” he mumbled, kneeling down to pick up the pieces. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Friday said you had a lab, and I got worried. This doesn’t look anything like Master’s…” 

 

“Oh, yeah? Wait until you see the rest of it,” he said smugly. “This isn’t even the whole lab. You want a tour?” Peter looked hesitant. “Come on, it’s safe. I promise.” He nodded. 

 

Thus, the tour began. Tony paraded him around his workspace. “What were you working on?” he asked, peering down at his desk. 

 

“It’s a surprise,” he said. “So don’t look too closely, okay? I’ll show you some of my other projects… Oh, hey, how about this?” Tony pulled out a black gauntlet. “This is for my friend Natasha.” 

 

“It’s a weapon,” he stated. 

 

“Yeah,” he said, slipping it on. “When you punch someone, it shocks them.” He punched a test dummy to prove his point. “See?” 

 

“Yeah,” he giggled. 

 

“What’re you giggling about?” Tony asked. 

 

“It’s a secret,” Peter said, leaning in close. “I was thinking about doing that to Master.” 

 

“Okay,” Tony said, drawing out the word. “You know what? I’d like to do the same.” Peter giggled even more. “Am I teaching you bad stuff?” 

 

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I already know ‘bad stuff.’” 

 

“You do, huh?” He raised his eyebrows. 

 

“ _ Yeah _ ,” Peter said, smirking. “Fuck.” 

 

“Peter, no,” Tony warned. “Kids aren’t supposed to say those words.” 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“Because,” he said, unable to think of a good reason. “I said so.” He visibly cringed. 

 

“Okay,” he sighed, sounding disappointed. 

 

“Only when it’s necessary,” Tony compromised. “And never around Pepper!” 

 

Peter lit up. “Wait, can I say—“ 

 

Whichever horrible word Peter was about to say was cut off by an alarm. He flinched suddenly, and so did Tony. Out of nowhere, his suit came flying at him, attaching itself to his body. He set Peter down in the corner of his lab. “Peter, stay here, okay? Don’t let anyone see you.” 

 

“Tony—?” 

 

“I gotta go,” he said frantically. “Stay here!” 

 

The window opened, and he promptly flew out, leaving Peter alone in the lab. 

 

Peter used to spend hours by himself in the lab. When Doctor Oct didn’t have a good use for him, he’d lock him up. Sometimes he’d be in there for hours. On those days, Scarlet might’ve snuck in for a visit, but he’d get beat if he was caught. He wished sometimes he didn’t even visit, if it meant he’d never have to see him hurt again. 

 

However, when Scarlet came to visit him in the lab, things didn’t seem so bad. 

 

Now, Tony was gone, Pepper was gone, and he’s trapped in another lab. Just great. 

 

“Friday?” Peter whispered. “Where’s Tony gone?” 

 

Friday didn’t know any better. She wasn’t given any protocol on what not to tell Peter. “There seems to have been an attack in New York.” 

 

“An attack?” He asked. “Is he gonna be okay?” Friday didn’t seem to have a reply for that. 

 

“He’s with the other Avengers,” she said, but it wasn’t enough to calm him down. 

 

Peter whined, burying his face in his knees. 

 

Peter sat there, huddled in the corner, for what seemed like hours. He wished he’d brought a book up with him, but how would he have known? 

 

Bored and sick out of his mind with worry, Peter pressed his head against the wall. 

 

The doors flew open suddenly, and Peter spiraled down to the floor. 

 

He struggled to quiet his breathing. He pressed his small body against a cabinet. 

 

“What do you mean?” a voice asked suddenly. Peter cautiously peered over the cabinet. Across the lab was a man in a lab coat frantically rushing around the lab. He had a phone pressed against his ear as he ransacked the lab. “I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t a clue what that’s about. It’s offensive really, you assume all scientists know each other--”

 

Peter couldn’t help it. The second he heard his heavy footsteps, he flinched, causing a tool by his foot to roll. Man, this lab was such a mess. 

 

The scientist stopped suddenly. He looked over his shoulders. His face was white with fear. He pulled a tool of the desk and paced around the lab. As soon as he neared the cabinet Peter was hiding behind, he jumped. “Wh—“ the man squeaked, holding his tool tight. 

 

Peter wasn’t going to stick around to find out what he was going to say. He ran to the window, but Friday’s protocol had locked all exits. “How’d you get in here?” Peter asked, not at all afraid. This messy haired scientist doesn’t have anything on him. 

 

The man was offput by the question. “Uh,” he paused. “I work here? This is my lab?” 

 

“This is Tony’s lab,” Peter spat. “Try again, and answer truthfully this time. Did Master send you? Because I’m not going back. I won’t, okay?” 

 

“What?” the man asked. His face contorted in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Also, this isn’t  _ just  _ Tony’s lab. I even have my own nameplate now.” The scientist walked over to a desk a few tables away. He pulled up a nameplate that read: BRUCE BANNER. “See? This mean nothing?” 

 

“Bruce Banner,” he repeated. “ _ Oh!”  _ Peter slapped himself in the head. “You work with him.” 

 

“Right,” Bruce said, unamused. “So, uh, who are you, and why are you in my lab?” 

 

“Tony told me not to talk to anyone,” he said sheepishly. 

 

“Please don’t tell me you’re another one of his experiments,” he said warily. “You a robot? Please don’t be a robot. You’re not, right?” 

 

“No.” Bruce’s shoulders dropped. 

 

“Thank goodness,” he said, wiping his forehead. He stopped suddenly. “Or are you just programmed to say that? You’re really little, you know? How do you talk like that?” Peter glared at him. “Okay, anyways, I have some work to do, so I’ll just get back to it… Bye, little robot boy.” 

 

“Not a robot,” Peter muttered under his breath. 

 

Ignoring him, Bruce pulled out his phone again. “Yeah, hey, it’s me again,” he spoke. “Have someone send me a sample of the tech to the lab… Yeah?... That’d be great. Thanks.” Moments later, a picture of the robots pulled up in front of him. Bruce examined the technology carefully, zooming in. 

 

Peter inched forwards to get a better view. “No, no,” he cried. “Get Tony out of there. You have to.” 

 

Bruce gave him an exhausted look. “What?” 

 

“You don’t understand,” he repeated. “They’re after Tony. They’re going to kill him!” 

 

***

“Where are these things coming from?” Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, groaned into the comm system. “There’s more and more every second.” 

 

“There’s more coming,” Clint said suddenly. “From every direction.” 

 

“What do they want?” Steve asked, probably talking to himself really.

 

“What does any alien want, really?” Tony mused, humming to himself as he blasted a couple of weird, octopus shaped robots. “To enslave the human race, maybe?” A swarm of them flocked to them, and he sent out a force in every direction, knocking them off of him. He picked up a broken piece. “This isn’t alien tech, though.” 

 

“Does it matter?” Natasha sighed. “As long as they’re dead.” Tony glanced in her direction, where Natasha ripped a head off of its body. He cringed. 

 

“Hey, uh, guys? There’s, like, a lot more coming,” Clint said suddenly. “Like a lot. All in Tony’s direction.” 

 

“You need backup?” Steve asked, but he was already heading that way. “Falcon, you too.” 

 

“It’s nothing I can’t handle. Besides, I’m--Holy shit.” Clint really wasn’t kidding. It seemed as if every robot on the field had suddenly targeted him. “Was it something I said?” 

 

Aliens? No problem. Robots? No big deal. Tony could probably do this in his sleep. The robots weren’t even that powerful. Overall, they were just a nuisance. No civilians had died in the fight so far, which is unbelievably amazing, especially considering how many casualties there is earlier. However, a great deal of damage was being dealt to the city, not to mention all the dead robot parts scattered over the city. 

 

So whether it be aliens, robots, supervillains, whatever - it doesn’t matter. It’s nothing Tony can’t handle. 

 

Spider-themed individuals, however? That’s a different story. 

 

Tony had been so focused on blasting every octopus creature out of the sky that he failed to realize the red and blue Spider behind him. Before he knew it, the creature tazed him, bringing him to the ground. “Where is he?” the individual growled, startling Tony. 

 

Tony scanned him. The suit he was in was similar to the one he found Peter in. His was a different color scheme however, and this kid was much taller. Despite his height, he didn’t sound very old. “Who?” Tony asked, confused. 

 

“Don’t play dumb!” he yelled, moving to attack him, but Tony dodged. Sam grabbed ahold of the man instantly, struggling to restrain him. “What’d you do with Spidey?” 

 

Tony stopped instantly. His heart stopped, realizing just who sent him. 

 

“Give him back,” he demanded. “Give him back!” 

 

A girl swung in suddenly, knocking Sam off of him. “What’d you do with him? Don’t play dumb, either. We know you took him hostage. Don’t act like you don’t have a clue!” 

 

“What the  _ hell _ are you talking about?” Sam asked. 

 

“I won’t,” he confessed, rather stupidly. “If anything, you were the one who took him hostage.” 

 

Little did they know, as they were fighting, Peter Parker, dressed in his old Spider-man suit as it’s his only ‘fight’ clothing, was struggling his way across the city. He jumped from building to building, struggling to find Tony. It wasn’t hard given the octopi roaming the sky. Just as he was approaching the fight, his Spidey Sense started to tingle. He jumped in the air to let an arrow fly right past him. 

 

“There’s another one,” Clint spoke into he comm. “This one’s a lot smaller, though. Nat, I could use some help.” 

 

A woman appeared moments later. He got a warning about almost every shot she begun to take, but she was so unpredictable. Before he knew it, Peter found himself struggling against the concrete. 

 

“Who sent you?” Natasha asked, choking the figure. Peter’s small hands raised up, but he went limp moments later. 

 

“...Hurt Tony,” he rasped, struggling to breathe. “Please!” Natasha lessened her grip to let him speak. “Tony!” 

 

Peter writhed out of her grasp. He really was no match for her. “Tony!” he screamed, but his throat was so sore it could barely come out. Thankfully, some more robots approached, distracting Natasha. He used it to give a swift punch to her face before retreating. Arrows flew by, taking care of the robots as she punched the rest. She turned to return to the small figure, but Peter was long gone. 

 

Tony wasn’t moving. His armor had simply locked down for a mere second, but it didn’t look that way to Peter. “No!” he cried out, running to him. “Get off of him!” Everyone stopped. The Avengers, confused, and the others, equally confused. Peter ran to the red and blue suit. “Scarlet, get your hands off of him!” 

 

The hands let go instantly. “Spidey,” he breathed, engulfing him in a tight hug. “It’s you. You… I thought he killed you.” 

 

Tony moved from his position on the ground. He aimed his blaster at Scarlet. “Don’t,” Peter demanded. “Stop hurting each other!” Peter was shaking. 

 

“What’d he do to you?” Scarlet asked. The woman from earlier came running, wrapping them both in a hug. 

 

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispered, slipping off her mask. “Did he hurt you?” 

 

“No, you don’t understand. I’m free now,” he explained. “He saved me.” 

 

“He brain washed you,” Scarlet seethed. “That bastard!” 

 

“Hey, I told you to watch the cursing,” Silk scolded. 

Tony rose to his feet. “You were the ones doing the brain washing. He didn’t even know his own name!” 

 

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Scarlet. We have  _ names.  _ I had a mom,” he said, grinning. “Tony showed me.” 

 

“He’s lying,” Silk said, and Peter shook his head. “We were made in a lab, Spidey. Don’t believe him. Right, Scarlet?” Scarlet didn’t answer. “Scarlet?” 

 

He scratched the back of his neck through the suit. “There’s really so much you guys don’t remember.” 

 

“No,” Silk cried, ripping off her mask. “No! Don’t say that. Don’t you dare--” 

 

“Cindy Moon,” Tony said suddenly, thanks to FRIDAY’s facial recognition. “You went missing six years ago.” 

 

“No,” she sobbed, falling to her knees. “It’s not true.” 

 

Scarlet gently slipped off Peter’s mask, getting a good look at his face. He smiled under his mask. “Oh, look at you,” he admired, rubbing at his face. “Look how big you’ve gotten.” He poked him in the stomach. “He been feeding you well, huh?” He looked to Stark, suddenly cold. “Thanks for taking care of him. I’ll be taking him back now.” 

 

“No, you won’t be,” Tony said. “I thought that was pretty clear.” 

 

“I’m afraid you don’t understand. He won’t stop until he has him back,” Scarlet spoke. “Honestly, I couldn’t care if you live or die. I just want him back.” 

 

“Come with us,” Peter said. “We can be free.” 

 

“You were always so naive,” he sighed. “You think I wanted that life for you?” He ripped off his mask and pointed to the scar over his eye. “You remember this, don’t you?” 

 

Peter didn’t, and then he did. Tears streamed down his face. 

 

“It’s funny how much you two forget. You were both so little,” he said. He pressed his forehead against Peter’s. “Master will kill you if he finds out. It’s safer if you come home.” 

 

“Tony said we won’t die,” Peter spoke, and Scarlet laughed. He was crying, too. 

 

“You have no idea what he’s planning,” Scarlet said, hiccuping. He ruffled the hair on Peter’s head. 

 

“Peter, get away from him,” Tony said boldly. 

 

Scarlet’s hand fell. “Peter?” he asked, a single tear rolling. “Peter.” He smiled wryly. “Oh, that suits you so well. Peter.” Scarlet stood up. “Take care of him, okay? Silk, let’s go.”

 

Silk lifted her sobbing face from her knees to look at them. Peter shook his head. “You can’t go back!” Peter cried, hanging on to him. 

 

“I’ll find you,” he promised. “It’s gonna be okay.” He pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead. 

 

“Don’t go,” Peter cried. “We can fight him off.” 

 

“Petey boy,” he said, grinning. “We really couldn’t. That’s why you gotta go, okay? Go as far from here as possible. He won’t stop until that man is dead. You remember the deal, right? He dies, we’re free?” 

 

“I won’t let him die.” 

 

“You’ve always had a way of making things difficult, don’t you?” Scarlet slipped his mask back on. “Oh, I’ll be back. Don’t you worry. Bye… Peter.” He ran off, and no one followed. 

 

Silk slipped her own mask back on. “Be safe.” 

 

Tony’s faceplate sliding up, and he swooped forward to hold Peter, who was no longer crying. He held him a few moments, hiding his face into his chest armor. 

 

“What… the hell?” 

 

The Avengers faced him, every single one looking thoroughly confused. Honestly, Tony couldn’t blame them. “Right, so, uh, a while ago one of them tried to kill me, and I’ve been taking care of him since. Peter, you wanna say hi?” 

 

Peter slowly raised his head up from the chestplate. “Hi,” he greeted shyly, waving his hand. 

 

“Holy shit,” Sam cursed. “He’s just a kid!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u know what bros,,, ive busted my nuddie buddies over this chapter and im still not happy with how it turned out,,,, this is late, and ive re written this chappie like 7 times, no lie
> 
> so yea uh dont flame me ok this was a PAIN also its been a while since ive written in this fandom so i gotta touch up so no one is super ooc,,,,,,, 
> 
> so yea if ur waiting for me to update, maybe check out some of my other works,,,, bc u know what this story is really hard to write for some diddly darn reason and im having a hard time
> 
> also author doesn't like to curse but sometimes it jusy seems neccesary in the story so forgive meok
> 
>  
> 
> im tired pls leave a kudos if u liked im sorry this chapter sucked, maybe the others wont ok


	7. Moonlight Serenade

Peter cowarded under the stares of the team. He attempted to bury his face into Tony’s neck, but Tony raised him up on his hip. “They’re staring at me,” he whispered, obviously uncomfortable. 

 

“Oh, it’s the robot boy,” Bruce said, arriving on the field. He picked up a piece of the technology. His sudden appearance startled the others, and his words made the conversation take a turn for the worse. 

 

Peter nor Tony bothered correcting him. “You know him?” Sam asked, gesturing to Peter. 

 

“Oh, that makes so much sense,” Steve said. “I saw you the other day, and it just didn’t make any sense. Of course, you’re a robot…”

 

Clint poked him in the forehead. “You look  _ so  _ real,” he admired. “That’s kinda freaky, actually.” 

 

“Yeah, and I thought you promised on no more robots,” Natasha drawled. “Remember Ultron?”

 

“Hey,” Tony defended. “He did help today, didn’t he?” The team murmured in response. “Right, that’s what I thought.” 

 

“Looks like we have some cleaning up to do,” Steve observed. 

 

The city was littered in robot parts. 

 

Cleaning up was no one’s favorite part of the job. Tony would rather fight than do clean up, most days. However, here he is, sweeping up robot parts. 

 

Peter scoops up one of the robots, studying it close. Clint, who had been stuffing parts in a bag, kneeled down to his level. “Is it a good idea for him to be cleaning this up? Isn’t this, like, his dead brothers, or something?” Clint had meant it as a joke, somewhere how all robots are related. What he didn’t know was that Peter actually wasn’t a robot, and his brother had just been snatched away from him. Again. 

 

“Peter’s fine,” Tony spat, a little bit harsher than it should’ve been. Clint put his hands up and distanced himself. 

 

“Someone’s in a mood,” he muttered, walking off. Peter mouthed a “thank you” to him and carried on cleaning up. 

 

Tony could’ve explained Peter to them, but somehow, he didn’t want to. It was better to let them think he reprogrammed a robot. It was better this way. 

 

“Hey, come here a second,” Tony said. Peter set the bag down gently and waddled up to him. “I wanted you to stay in the lab. You could’ve gotten hurt. You could’ve gotten taken away.” 

 

“I know,” he murmured, “Scarlet would’ve killed you, though.”

 

“No, he wouldn’t,” he said, rolling his eyes. 

 

“He wouldn’t stop at anything to get us out,” Peter said. He fiddled with his thumb. “Scarlet hates Master so much, but he does what he says. He made a deal with him.” 

 

“Yeah?” Tony found it hard to get Peter to open up like this. Peter would tell him everything if he asked, but Tony hated the pale look he got everytime he talked about it. 

 

“If we killed you, we’d be free,” he said, breathless. Tony gulped at the earnest look in his eyes. “I was gonna do it for him, but that was before…” He didn’t finish. “Once, Scarlet got hurt really badly for me.” He pointed to his eye. “He grabbed me and took me into a town. Master, he, he wasn’t happy. He beat Scarlet, but he didn’t stop trying. Then…” His voice broke off. “He started hurting me.” Tony’s heart froze again. He hung on every word. “He stopped trying a little after that.” Peter sniffed suddenly. 

 

Out of fear he was going to start crying again, he pulled him close. “Hey, hey, listen,” he said. Peter’s eyes snapped off the ground. “That life’s behind you. You’re Peter now, remember? You have an aunt and an uncle, not a Master.” 

 

“Do you think Scarlet had a mommy?” Peter asked, blinking. 

 

Tony huffed. “I… I don’t know. The system didn’t pick anything up.” He had managed to get a match on Silk instantly, but no records showed up from Ben. Nothing at all. It was like he doesn’t even exist. “I’m sorry.” 

 

“He can live with me,” Peter settled, sniffling again. “Maybe, maybe I can share?” 

 

Tony smiled. “Your Aunt misses you so much; I know she’d gladly take the two of you.” Peter’s face dropped. 

 

“I like my room,” he admits. “I think I’ll miss it.” 

 

“You can visit anytime you want,” Tony promised. 

 

Peter was uneasy. “She misses me?”

 

“So much.” 

 

Peter let out a huff. “Can I…? Can I meet her? I wanna ask…” 

 

“Yeah,” he said, blankly, trying to ignore the way his heart got caught in his throat. “Of course.” 

 

Tony dressed him in the nicest clothing Peter had. He combed his hair, styled it, and even dressed him in a little tie. He tried his best to restore Peter’s innocent look, but just by looking at him, you could tell he was a troubled soul. There was no missing the years of abuse. 

 

If Peter was nervous, he didn’t show it. He was oddly quiet in the ride to the house. Happy didn’t speak, either; he never asked too many questions, which Tony can always appreciate. “We’re here,” he announced, breaking the silence in the car. 

 

“Right,” Tony said, getting out of the car. He unbuckled Peter and carried him to the door. 

 

“Tony?” Peter asked. 

 

“Yeah?” he asked quickly, on edge. 

 

“Are you going to knock?” 

 

Tony cleared his voice. “Yeah, Peter.” He shook his head, inhaled deeply, then knocked on the door. 

 

The door creaked open. The gray-haired woman had various stains on the apron wrapped around her. There was a smudge of green on her forehead. “How may I help you?” she asked, wiping her hands off on her clothes. “Pardon my mess, I was... “ She stopped at the child. Her eyes widened, and she lost the ability to speak. 

 

“Hi,” Tony greeted. “May I come in?” 

 

“Honey, who’s at the door?” A man approached from behind, just in time to catch the fainting woman. He caught the woman in his arms. Her eyes fluttered shut. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” 

 

“She fainted,” Peter spoke. “Did she not wanna see me?” 

 

The man, still holding on tightly to the woman, gaped. “You… You’re…” 

 

“I’m Peter,” he introduced. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

 

The man collapsed, taking him and the woman to the ground. 

 

When May awoke, her husband was passed out on the couch beside her. The door was closed shut, and there was no one in sight. “What?” she asked, rubbing her head. “What a strange dream I just had…” 

 

It wasn’t uncommon for May to have dreams about Peter, about Richard, about Mary. She dreamed about them a lot, actually. 

 

It was uncommon, however, for May to have a child peeking around the wall of her living room. “Hi,” she greeted. “Maybe I am losing it…” 

 

“I’m sorry,” Tony Stark said, stepping into the room. He handed May a glass of water. “I should’ve called before showing up unannounced.” 

 

She accepted the glass with shaky hands. “Is that…?” 

 

Tony smiled gently. “That’s Peter. It’s him.” 

 

She smiled for a moment. 

 

Then, she slapped Tony in the face. 

 

Shocked, he put a hand to his face, where, without a doubt, there was a red mark. Peter moved into a fight stance, but Tony held up his hand. “I’m calling the police.” 

 

The man on the couch started to stir. “May, honey, don’t,” he said weakly. “That’s Tony Stark.” 

 

She glared at him. “Why’d you steal him?” 

 

“You’ve got it all wrong. I’m giving him back to you,” he promised, speaking slowly. 

 

“It’s the truth,” Peter said. 

 

May shook her head. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” Ben asked, hurt clear in his eyes. 

 

“Come here, boy,” she motioned, and Peter didn’t move. “It’s me. It’s your Aunt May. You remember me?” Peter shook his head. “Oh, you look so much like her.” Peter lit up a bit at that. Aunt May moved closer, and he flinched away. 

 

“He’ll need space,” Tony said, and Aunt May understood. She stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled off a frame. She held it out to Peter.

 

“See? That was your mother, Peter,” she said, smiling wryly. 

 

“My mom,” he echoed, touching the frame. “I don’t remember…” 

 

“You were young,” she said. “You still are.” She blinked, a few tears escaping. “I remember the last time I held you.” Ben was at her side instantly, wiping away her tears, holding her close. “We loved you so much.” 

 

Peter didn’t move to comfort the stranger. He focused on the frame in his hands. “I used to dream about having a mom,” he confessed. “I never imagined she’d look just like me.” 

 

May sniffed, stopping her crying for a moment. “After we lost her, then we lost you…” She broke into sobs. 

 

“I wanted to ask you something.” 

 

Ben answered since May was unable to. “Anything, kiddo.” 

 

“Why’d my mom give me away?” 

 

Even Tony couldn’t help but choke up at that one. He covered his mouth and turned away from the family. He, suddenly feeling like an intruder, escaped to the kitchen. 

 

It took a number of moments for Ben to reply. “Why would you think that?” He asked instead of answering. 

 

Tony bit his lip. His eyes fluttered shut, and he pressed his forehead against a pillar in the Parker household. 

 

“They… went away,” Ben explained at last. 

 

“Because of me?” 

 

Tony bit his lip even harder. He squeezed his eyes shut even harder, as if that’d stop him from hearing the terrible conversation. 

 

“Of course not, honey,” May said through her tears. She inhaled sharply. “Mary loved you so, so much. She didn’t give you to us because she  _ wanted  _ to. She had to.” 

 

Peter knew. Peter knew they were dead; Tony had told him, after all. If it was too harsh of him to do, it was way too late now. 

 

“Oh, dear,” May sighed. She reached out to Peter again, but he only flinched in response. She shuddered at the response, pondered a few minutes, before she excused herself. Ben let her go. 

 

May found Tony in the kitchen with his fist in his mouth. “Thank you,” she said gently, “for returning him to me.” 

 

“May, can I call you that?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “May, some very bad things happened to that boy.” 

 

“I know.” 

 

“You do?” 

 

May scoffed. “How could I not? Look at him.” She gestured vaguely into the living room where Peter sat on the floor, feet away from Ben, flipping through a photo album. “I still can’t believe he’s here, that, that’s him. That’s Mary’s little boy…” May started to cry again, and Tony was never to good with crying women. 

 

Tony instantly struggled to comfort her, but he didn’t have to do anything because Peter beat her to it. 

 

May, whose sobbing face was hidden in her hands, perked up at the sound of music. She went to the doorway where Ben had put a dvd in. On the TV, a couple slowly danced. “Tony’s played this before,” he said, “But this sounds… different.” 

 

“Your parents danced to this at their wedding,” he said, tapping his foot along. 

 

Peter cautiously stood up and placed his hand on the television. He traced his fingers along the figures of his deceased parents. 

 

“Oh my,” May seethed. “He’s… Oh my.” 

 

Peter started to twirl along, copying the woman in the video. 

 

May peeked around the kitchen pillar. She clapped her hands together, and Peter spun around to face them. 

 

“Look! Do I look like her?” he asked, beaming. He continued to dance slowly by himself, completely entranced in the video. 

 

“May, I won’t lie,” Tony spoke gently as she had stopped crying just now, entirely focused on the dancing child. “He’s so afraid. It took him a while to adjust to my home… I want to make this transition as easy as possible, but…” 

 

“I have so many questions,” May said, “But that can wait. All I care about is that he’s home now…” 

 

Tony realized now he was foolish to think he could keep this child. Giving back Peter was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever done. 

 

He tried to shake it off. He wrote down his number for May with a smile. She accepted it, and gave him a tight hug in return. 

 

“Hey, kid,” Tony called. “It’s time to go.” 

 

Peter painfully tore his eyes away from the television. “Oh,” he said, walking up to him. “Already?” 

 

Tony opened the door to leave, but he couldn’t move. Just a few feet away Happy was parked, but he could not bring himself to take another step. 

 

“Tony,” Peter said, tugging at his shirt. “I liked them.” 

 

“Yeah?” Breathless, Tony kneeled down. 

 

Peter stood up on his toes, back down, then back up, fidgeting wildly. “Yeah,” he repeated. “But I thought… I thought he’d look different.” 

 

“Oh?” Tony asked, somewhat distracted, trying to distance himself before he got too attached. It was too late. 

 

“Yeah, it’s kinda weird, but… I kinda thought, well, I dunno, but I thought he was gonna look like you.” 

 

That? That shit right there? That got him. 

 

Tony engulfed him in a hug, pulling the child close. His cheek felt wet with tears. “Tony?” 

 

Tony couldn’t reply. “I got to go now,” Tony said. 

 

“What?” He didn’t even want to look at him. “Where are you going?” 

 

“Peter, this is your real family,” he said. “You’re not mine.” 

 

“You’re… leaving me?” 

 

“If I keep you, I’d be stealing you… Just like Doctor Octavious. He took you away from them, and I don’t want to do the same…” 

 

_ I don’t want to mess you up like my dad messed me up,  _ he thought. 

 

“Please!” Peter cried, grabbing on to his leg. “Don’t go, Tony! Don’t leave me!” 

 

The next moments blurred together. Tony later would drink and drink, drink some more, drink in hopes he could forget this. 

 

But how could he? 

 

May might have come out at the commotion. Happy might’ve had to pry Peter off of Tony and practically throw him at May and Ben. They might’ve had to lock up a broken child away from a broken man. They might’ve done all that, but Tony tried his best not to think about it. 

 

As he climbed silently into his car, he tried not to think about Peter calling out for him. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this chapter while crying... um also everyone should watch "tony stark & peter parker isn't it lovely?" by mythicalroyalty on youtube bc it made me cry (which really surprised me), and idk it inspired me to write, so y'all should watch it!! normally i dont like edits but it was so well done that its really moving...
> 
> anyways so things are kinda gonna go downhill from here, i think im sad irl and im projecting it on this fic, um anyways im gonna try and update more often bc my wrestling season is over so i have more free time!
> 
> thank u v much if u read all of this lol, and if u enjoyed maybe leave a comment bc it makes me happy and it encourages me to keep writing (is that bribery if its true? im not sure) but uh yea i love all yall ok
> 
> oh mary and richard are dancing to one of my fav songs called "moonlight serenade" so yea
> 
> check it out if u want or not its cool


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